B is for Bows
(Season 3)
Santana sat still, a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips as she focused her eyes ahead, careful not to move her head or squirm and thus to distract or mess up the efforts of the girl seated closely behind her. She enjoyed the feeling of gentle, nimble fingers in her hair, deftly crossing dark strands over each other in tight braids, and although she knew very well that the result would undoubtedly look completely ridiculous, she also knew that she would never say so and risk hurting the other girl's feelings. Santana had no problem and in fact derived much satisfaction and amusement from mocking every person in her life and even people she didn't actually know, but with Brittany, it was different. Brittany neither deserved nor would even always understand the cruel undertone to Santana's teasing, and she would never dream of directing it towards her.
Brittany was special, Brittany was the one person who could escape Santana's claws, and consequently, Brittany was the only person who Santana would ever allow to draw close, the only person she would ever go to for comfort, and above all, the only person she would ever let make her look as completely silly as she undoubtedly did now, and still fully enjoy it.
"There!" Brittany announced proudly after a few more moments, and she lightly smoothed her hand over the top of Santana's head, then hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. Santana could hear the beaming in her voice even though she couldn't see her face, and she automatically covered Brittany's hands with her own, squeezing their backs. "All finished, San…you look so cute!"
Santana highly doubted this, but she smiled all the same, genuinely pleased at Brittany's pleasure if nothing else. Turning her head, she kissed Brittany's cheek, then her lips softly before leaning back into her girlfriend's arms, still smiling.
"Show me, baby. You have a mirror?"
Brittany fished in her purse for a compact and held it at an angle where Santana could see herself, her blue eyes bright with satisfaction as she watched Santana's reaction. Santana blinked, her lips quirking again, and she had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing as she looked back at her reflection. Brittany had taken every last decorative bow she could find, which were meant to decorate Christmas trees and wreaths, gifts and gift bags, rather than a person's hair, and wove them into Santana's hair through multiple braids. Santana's head looked like it had exploded in a mass of Christmas bows; she resembled one of the little Who children on the Grinch movies, or maybe just an overly jolly elf. It took considerable willpower for her not to burst out laughing or just to pull the bows straight out of her hair, but for Brittany, she didn't. For Brittany, she would have walked out in public like that with her head held high, glaring at anyone who dared to look at her like she appeared anything less than normal in appearance.
"This is awesome, baby," she told her, reaching up to finger one of the bows, and then she turned back towards Brittany and reached for her face, cupping her cheek and chin in one hand as she smiled back at her softly. "You're amazing."
"I know," Brittany nodded, no hint of sarcasm or teasing in her voice at all, and this made Santana smile more. Her girl definitely had no self-esteem issues, as she rightfully shouldn't. "You look so cute, San. We should go show you off. Let's go Christmas shopping!"
And Santana couldn't say no. Time to put her tried and tested glare to the test all over again, because one thing she wasn't letting happen, no way, no how, was anyone laughing at her girl's hair creation, even if it was on Santana's head.